Our standing Community Policy joins our Moderation Policy in serving to provide a more secure and community-oriented environment for our members and event attendees.

The following version of the Community Policy is an update over the 2018 edition, as initially revised for the Nebula Awards Conference in Chicago, IL. This new Community Policy will undergo further review over the summer, along with SFWA’s OP-PM. Please write to office@sfwa.org with questions or feedback pursuant to its contents and/or improvement.

We’re in this together, and we thank everyone in the SFWA community for doing their part to make this a constructive space for us all.

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SFWA Community Policy

Community Policy

SFWA supports and builds our industry and our community of writers. As an organization, we affirm that all writers deserve respect, support, and genuine encouragement in an inclusive, harassment-free environment. 

Expectations

We expect all participants in our community to contribute to creating such an environment for everyone.

We require all participants to support the creation of inclusive events that are accessible and harassment-free, regardless of race, religion, color, gender and gender presentation, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, pregnancy, age, medical condition, and/or physical or mental disability.

Unacceptable Behavior

Harassment and offensive conduct are unacceptable behavior. Harassment may be defined as offensive conduct including (but not limited to) unwelcome verbal, physical, or threatening behavior or intimidation. Rather than intent, our focus is on harm and consent. Offensive conduct may include, but is not limited to, offensive jokes, slurs, epithets or name calling, physical assaults or threats, intimidation, ridicule or mockery, insults or put-downs, offensive objects or pictures, and interference with work performance. 

A participant asked to stop any unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. 

Consequences

Harassment is not tolerated. SFWA reserves the right to take immediate action without prior warning. Consequences may include: 

• Expulsion from current event, with or without refund
• Engagement of security or law enforcement as necessary
• Ban from future SFWA event participation 
• Referral to the Membership Credentials Committee

Reporting

If you are the victim of or witness harassment or offensive conduct, please prioritize your safety. Call 911 if appropriate. 

If and when you are safe:

• Please report any incidents, either witnessed or experienced, to the appropriate party.
• As a Nebula Conference participant, please report any incident to the Registration Table. 
• As a SFWA event participant, please report any incident to the event coordinator.
• As a SFWA online participant, please report any incident to the forum moderator.
• For anonymous reports, please use the online form.

If you are uncertain, we encourage you to inquire or report.

Followup

SFWA affirms that every incident will be considered with compassion and understanding. Each incident will be promptly and impartially investigated, and action taken as appropriate.

Conclusion

Every event is an opportunity to co-create an inclusive, vibrant and diverse space where we all can learn together. Thank you for being part of our community.